Published: Monday, June 10, 2013 at 12:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, June 10, 2013 at 12:53 p.m.

VENICE - The Venice Circus Arena may have a second life as an entertainment venue after all.

On Monday, the City Council voted 4-3 to only partially demolish the arena that long served as the winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The decision creates the possibility that the skeletal structure that remains could become an outdoor pavilion that could be used for concerts, graduation ceremonies and other events.

Yet Mayor John Holic noted the partial demolition should also make the property more presentable to interests that may want to pitch ideas for how to best use the property. The 11-acre site owned by the municipal airport is in an area where, in the past, developers have suggested a hotel or resort.

In the same vote, the council authorized only a partial demolition of an octagon-shaped building next to the arena that the late Gunther Gebel-Williams used as an animal training center. That building, which the council noted is shaped more like a circus tent, could possibly become a small museum about the Ringling era — whether at its present location or moved to another site, such as Legacy Park.

The nonprofit Venice Circus Arts Foundation, which formed in 2010 after the city announced intentions to demolish the long-abandoned arena complex, initially hoped to save and restore the arena in its entirety.

Yet foundation members, who feared the council would favor total demolition, applauded the council's 4-3 decision and hugged each other after the vote.

"We feel this is a great compromise," foundation spokesman Orlando Bevington said. "The city understands the legacy of Ringling is important to the community. We celebrate that."

The foundation hopes that, when future drivers cross the Circus Bridge onto the island of Venice and see the arena in a new incarnation, they will see "a beautiful monument" to that legacy, Bevington said.

The foundation intends to continue fundraising and hopes to eventually oversee the arena.

Bevington said the foundation's efforts to get government or foundation grants have been hampered because the city would not give it a lease to the property.

Holic said the city should not award a lease to the foundation without seeing if other entities may be interested in the property after the partial demolition is completed.

"They have to be competitive, like anybody else," Holic said.

The city initially gave the foundation five years to raise enough support to fully renovate the abandoned circus complex.

That time frame got cut short when city building and code enforcement director Vince LaPorta condemned the asbestos-plagued arena earlier this year as unsafe.

The city asked for bids from contractors for the full and partial demolition of the arena and its related structures.

City Manager Ed Lavallee said the lowest bidder for the partial-demolition tasks the council wants is Cross Construction Services of Lutz, at $226,000. The airport will pay the demolition costs.

Holic and council members Jim Bennett, Dave Sherman and Kit McKeon voted in favor of partial demolition.

<p><em>VENICE</em> - The Venice Circus Arena may have a second life as an entertainment venue after all.</p><p>On Monday, the City Council voted 4-3 to only partially demolish the arena that long served as the winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.</p><p>The decision creates the possibility that the skeletal structure that remains could become an outdoor pavilion that could be used for concerts, graduation ceremonies and other events.</p><p>Yet Mayor John Holic noted the partial demolition should also make the property more presentable to interests that may want to pitch ideas for how to best use the property. The 11-acre site owned by the municipal airport is in an area where, in the past, developers have suggested a hotel or resort.</p><p>In the same vote, the council authorized only a partial demolition of an octagon-shaped building next to the arena that the late Gunther Gebel-Williams used as an animal training center. That building, which the council noted is shaped more like a circus tent, could possibly become a small museum about the Ringling era — whether at its present location or moved to another site, such as Legacy Park.</p><p>The nonprofit Venice Circus Arts Foundation, which formed in 2010 after the city announced intentions to demolish the long-abandoned arena complex, initially hoped to save and restore the arena in its entirety.</p><p>Yet foundation members, who feared the council would favor total demolition, applauded the council's 4-3 decision and hugged each other after the vote.</p><p>"We feel this is a great compromise," foundation spokesman Orlando Bevington said. "The city understands the legacy of Ringling is important to the community. We celebrate that."</p><p>The foundation hopes that, when future drivers cross the Circus Bridge onto the island of Venice and see the arena in a new incarnation, they will see "a beautiful monument" to that legacy, Bevington said.</p><p>The foundation intends to continue fundraising and hopes to eventually oversee the arena.</p><p>Bevington said the foundation's efforts to get government or foundation grants have been hampered because the city would not give it a lease to the property.</p><p>Holic said the city should not award a lease to the foundation without seeing if other entities may be interested in the property after the partial demolition is completed.</p><p>"They have to be competitive, like anybody else," Holic said.</p><p>The city initially gave the foundation five years to raise enough support to fully renovate the abandoned circus complex.</p><p>That time frame got cut short when city building and code enforcement director Vince LaPorta condemned the asbestos-plagued arena earlier this year as unsafe.</p><p>The city asked for bids from contractors for the full and partial demolition of the arena and its related structures.</p><p>City Manager Ed Lavallee said the lowest bidder for the partial-demolition tasks the council wants is Cross Construction Services of Lutz, at $226,000. The airport will pay the demolition costs.</p><p>Holic and council members Jim Bennett, Dave Sherman and Kit McKeon voted in favor of partial demolition.</p><p>Commissioners Jeanette Gates, Emilio Carlesimo and Bob Daniels voted against it.</p><p>Carlesimo said uncertainty about what is going to be done with the property has prevented businesses who may be interested in leasing the land from the airport from pitching their ideas.</p><p>"If this were a private building it would have been torn down long ago," Daniels said.</p><p>"I don't believe a dirt lot is more valuable than the winter home of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey," Bevington said.</p><h3>Earlier</h3>
<p>Today's meeting of the Venice City Council was delayed when power went out at City Hall.</p><p>The outage at about 11:30 a.m. was caused when a car hit a utility pole downtown.</p><p>The City Council continued to meet for a few minutes, then adjourned for an early lunch. Power was expected to be restored early this afternoon and the council was planning to reconvene at 12:30 p.m.</p><p>The council is considering whether to demolish the historic Circus Arena.</p>